Grimsey (Grímsey) Island
Grimsey (Grímsey) Island
Offshore Grimsey island is the northernmost point of Iceland. Situated on the Arctic Circle, 40km from the mainland, it is home to around 75 people, who live from fishing and farming.
They have their own primary school, swimming pool and a collection of chess books.
American scholar Willard Fiske visited Iceland in 1879 and was struck by the islanders' skills at chess and lack of resources.
He later donated money to buy chess sets and on his death in 1904 bequeathed $12,000 to establish Grimsey's chess library.
The inhabitants share their island home with a million noisy seabirds and one of the biggest puffin colonies in Iceland.
The birds are surprisingly tame but please take care as Arctic terns are ground nesting, very defensive of their eggs and chicks and intruders are very unwelcome!
After you've strolled along the cliff tops and wandered down into the village, you've pretty much done it all but the best thing about this peaceful 5sq km island is still to come.
If you visit around the summer solstice wait for the sun to dip down, skim the northern horizon and rise again.
A ferry serves the island several times a week from the town of Dalvik and flights are provided from Akureyri several times a week during winter and daily during summer. There's a guesthouse, cafe, craft shop, and grocery.